Can Japan Break Its Addiction to Disposable Packaging? longreads.com

Japan is infamous for its excessive, often elaborate, plastic packaging.
The cashier is unconcerned when I say I don’t want a bag, but she looks at me like I’m some kind of eccentric when I say I don’t want my potatoes placed in a smaller plastic bag either.
The clerk agrees to wrap them in paper, but he tells me they might fall out if he doesn’t then put the package in a plastic bag.
There is another awkward moment when I buy a baguette and a smaller piece of bread at a bakery.
The clerk puts the baguette in a paper bag but puts the other piece of bread in a plastic bag.